If you’re looking for reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been able to sustain so many injuries early in the year and still come out with an unbeaten, 3-0 record, you can’t do much better than pointing directly at safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
If your memory goes back one year — no guarantee in today’s world — you’ll recall how much the Buccaneers struggled without Winfield in the lineup last year as the defensive star missed a career high 8 games with a variety of injuries.
This year, Winfield has been steady as it goes through 3 games and has shown he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in it, as evidenced by the $17,389 fine the NFL hit him with for what it called an illegal hit on New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor in a Week 3 win.
Winfield had his first sack of the year against the Jets and forced a fumble on Taylor on the same play, burnishing his reputation as one of the NFL’s best blitzing safeties.
Winfield’s fine came one day before the Buccaneers host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4 in a showdown of unbeaten teams.
The NFL said the fine was for a hit on Taylor in the first quarter.
Winfield’s Acumen for Getting After QB Praised
There’s just something thrilling and awesome about a defensive back willing to mix it up on blitzes where they inherently put themselves at risk darting around 300-pound plus offensive linemen.
Winfield, thank goodness, is basically the NFL’s version of Marvel’s Daredevil — a man without fear.
“Antoine Winfield, Jr. recorded his 18th sack of his NFL career on Sunday against the Jets,” Tampa Fox 13 TV reporter Mark Skol Jr. wrote on X on September 22. That sack for the safety puts him into the Top 10 for most sacks in NFL history by a defensive back, per the Bucs.
“With his sack in the Buccaneers Week 3 win over the Jets, Antoine Winfield Jr. moved into the top 10 all-time in sacks by a defensive back (18.0), dating back to when sacks became an official statistic in 1982,” Buccaneers Communications wrote on its official X account.
“Insane statistic. Winfield has played at LEAST 110 less games than every other DB in the top 10 all-time in sacks,” NFL reporter Jon Ledyard wrote on X. “ONE HUNDRED TEN. He just turned 27. He’s 13 sacks from being the all-time leader amongst DBs in NFL history.
Trying to Reclaim Spot as NFL’s Top Safety
Winfield, the son of NFL All-Pro cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr., was a second round pick (No. 45 overall) in the 2020 NFL draft and became a plug and play starter, helping lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win as a rookie.
He made the Pro Bowl in his second season despite missing 4 games due to injury and had a season for the ages in 2023 with career highs in tackles (122), interception (3), sacks (6.0) and led the NFL with 6 forced fumbles.
Winfield earned NFL All-Pro honors and was named to his second Pro Bowl. He also cashed in big in the offseason, becoming the highest paid defensive back in NFL history with a 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension.
Battling through injuries in 2024 has given Winfield something to prove in 2025, however, and he’s seemed like the player from 2 years ago through 3 games.
NFL Announces Punishment for Buccaneers Star Antoine Winfield Jr.